Slicing-machine.



No. 634,870. Patented Oct. I7, I899. W. H. BOUTELL. SLICING MACHINE. (Application filed Jan. 13, 1898.) (No Model.)

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SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 634,870, dated October 17, 1899.

. Application filed anuary 13, 1898. Serial No. 666,554. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BOUTELL, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of'New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slicing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this.

specification, and to the reference-nun1erals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to slicing-machines particularly adapted for slicing fruits and vegetables, and has for its objects to improve their construction and operation,whereby the article to be sliced may be fed or supplied to the machine in a very expeditious manner and sliced without liability of breaking the slices at the rear edges, which latter is afanlt common to machines of the general class.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements hereinafter fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional View of the same on the line or w of Fig. I; Fig. 3, a crosssectional view on the line y 1 of Fig. 1; 4:, a similar view on the line z z of Fig. 1.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts.

In carrying out my invention I provide a main stationary frame 1, having on one side ears or lugs 2, enabling it to be'attached to a table or support 3 by fastening devices, such as screws at. This frame embodies a support or platform 5, which is preferably at about the level of the surface of the table 3 and is provided on opposite sides with guides for the edges of a movable frame or carriage 6 to be presently described.

7 7 indicate slicing-knives extending between the sides of the frame 1, with their bodies preferably at a slight angle relative to the guides and their edges in substantially the same horizontal plane.

The movable frame or carriage 6 is provided on the outer side with a flange or rib 8, operating in a guide on the main frame and held in said guide by a removable flange or plate 0, and the inner side of thecarriage is provided at the forward end with a flange 10, operating on the inner side of the frame 1, being held in position upon it by a removable flange or plate 11.

The frame 6 is open on the side next the table 3 and is provided with a head or pusher 12, with which the fruit engages while being moved by the carriage over the knives, and said pusher is provided with a vertical slot, in which operates an arm 13, carrying at the inner end a presser 14E, movable Vertically toward and from the knives as the carriage is moved over them. In the present embodiment of my invention the outer end of this presser-arm is pivoted at 15 to an extension 16 of the carriage and is provided with an operating-handle 17, preferably arranged on the side of the pivot toward the head 12, so that as the carriage is operated toward and over the knives by said handle the presser willfeed the fruit beneath it down upon the knives. The upward movement of the presser-arm is limited by any suitable stop; but I prefer to employ a removable yoke 18, bolted to the carriage and forming in this instance the face of the head.

13 y arranging the bearing portion of the carriage on the frame forward of the lateral opening in said carriage for the introduction of the fruit the construction is simplified and the machine as a whole rendered more compact.

The machine being secured to the edge of a table or support on which the fruit or vegetables to be sliced are placed, the operation will now be understood. The operator grasps the handle 17 with one hand and with the other moves the fruit from the table through the open side of the carriage onto the support 5 against the head 12' and beneath the presser, then by means of the handle operates the carriage toward and over the knives, and as the knives remove successive slices from the bottom of the fruit carried over them the presser presses and follows the fruit down until it has been entirely sliced, the downward movement of the presser being arrested before it can contact with the knives by an adjustable stop or screw on its arm engaging with the top of the carriage. When the handle is operated in the opposite direction to re turn the carriage, the presser connected to it is lifted to the top of the head, as in Fig. 2, ready for the next operation.

By the arrangement of the carriage and frame so that the fruit may be brought from the table or support directly in front of the head which moves it over the knives I facilitate the feeding of the fruit to the machine, and it may be rolled or pushed in position to be operated upon with the aperture in cored fruit at right angles to the knives, thereby causing the fruit to be cut in rings, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

In the present construction the guiding portion of the carriage is forward of the head, and therefore it is necessary to make the side of the carriage open, and while I prefer this construction it could be altered without departing from my invention. I prefer also that the presser be actuated by the operating-handle which moves the carriage; but this construction is not essential, as other forms of presser could be employed without departing fromv my invention.

It will be noted that the head 12' actuating the fruit is arrangedat a very slight angle rela tive to the plane of the edges of the knives, thereby affording a support for-the lower rear edge of the fruit when the last edge of the slice is removed, and this,in connection with the presser, prevents the slices from being broken at their rear edges, which breaking is a fault common to slicing-machines having inclined pushing heads or plates.

I claim as my invention 1. In a slicing-machine, the combination with the frame and the slicing-knives thereon, of the reciprocatory carriage movable on the frame above the knives and having the head or pusher, a presser mounted on the carriage andmovable toward and away from the plane of the knife-edges, an operating-handle connected to the presser and movable on the carriage in a direction substantially parallel withthe movement of the latter, andarranged relatively to the pusher orhead so that when the carriage is reciprocated by the handle toward the cutting edges of the knives, the presser will press the fruit down upon them, and'vice versa.

2; In a slicing-machine, the combination with the frame and the horizontal slicingkni'ves thereon, of the reoiprocatory carriage movable on the frame over the knives and having the head or pusher facing the cutting edges of the knives and freely accessible at one side, whereby. the fruit may be moved in front of it on the frame, the presser on the carriage movable at an angle to the pusher, means for operating the carriage to move the fruit against the cutting edges of the knives and simultaneously operating the presser toward the knives, and vice versa.

3. In a slicing-machine, the combination with the frame and the slicing-knives thereon, of the reciprocatory carriage operating 011 the frame above the knives open at the side, and the pusher or head in rear of the opening, a vertically-movable presser pivoted on the carriage and an operating-handle connected' thereto and movable on the pivotin the direction of movement of the carriage independently of the latter, saidparts being so arranged that when the handle is operated horizontally to move the carriage toward the cutting edges of the knives, the presser will be moved downwardly and vice versa.

4-. In a slicing-machine, the combination with the frame having the slicing-knives, the carriage movable on the frame over the knives and having-the pusher or head, of the presser pivoted on the carriage in rear of the head, said presser being movable on its pivot in a plane transverse to that of the knives, and having the handle extending above the pivot, whereby when the carriage is movedby the handle toward the cutting edges of the knives, the presser will be moved downwardly and vice versa.

5. In a slicing-machine, the combination with the frame 1, having the slicing-knives 7 and the ways 8 and 10 at the sides, of the movable carriage 6 operating on the Ways above the knives having the open. sides and the pusher or head 12 in rear of said opening, a vertically-movable presser 14. pivoted on the carriage at 15 in rear of' the pusher and having the handle 17, said handle and presser being so arranged relative to the cut ting edges of the knives that when the pusher is moved toward them, the presser will be operated downwardly.

WILLIAM H. BOUTELL.

Witnesses:

F. F. CHURCH, GRACE A. Rona. 

